Emilia Mendieta Córdova
Camera
Biography
Emilia Mendieta Córdova is a Director of Photography with a passion for bold visual storytelling. She is a graduate of Vassar College and has an MFA in cinematography from the AFI Conservatory. Emilia is a three-time Women in Media Altitude Awards for excellence in camera and lighting semi-finalist, was part of the 2023-2024 ASC Vision Mentorship Program, and is a Cinematography Fellow in the Inaugural 2023 WIF Artisan and Crew Fellowships. Emilia has lensed award-winning films that have screened at the LALIFF, Tallgrass, LA Shorts, UrbanWorld, BOGOSHORTS, Salute Your Shorts, LAIFF, Portland Film Festival, Cinequest, and the CineGear Film Series. Among her notable collaborations include the LFI Inclusion Fellowship shorts HIGH BEAM and TRENDING, AGUAMADRE from Season 2 of the Walmart x Mitú Fellowhip, Mark S. Allen’s feature directing debut AMY’S F-IT LIST and over 16 award-winning music video collaborations with Charley Young. Emilia also shot a short-form food show and PROMAX-nominated promos for ABC10 (KXTV). Emilia has worked as an educator - teaching or guest lecturing at the AFI Conservatory, USFQ, UDLA, University of New Orleans and California State University - Northridge. She has also provided mentorship for youth filmmaking programs such as the Youth Cinema Project, the Michael’s Daughter Foundation, and the Sunrise Art Group. She previously worked at the AFI Conservatory where she helped run the 35mm Visual Essay Program and the Cinematography Intensive for Women Program. While Emilia works primarily as a Cinematographer, she is also currently one of the hosts of The ICF⁺C’s Podcast. Emilia is multilingual (English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese), a classically-trained cellist, amateur Astrophotographer, culinary arts enthusiast, and a massive Star Wars fan. She is also a Part 107 FAA Certified Drone pilot. Emilia is a member of the ICF⁺C (International Community of Female⁺ Cinematographers), the Chicana Directors Initiative, WIF, Women In Media, and NALIP.
Known For
A sane woman fakes the symptoms of a mentally unstable patient to be admitted into a mental institution for a secret psychiatric experiment.
I Am Normal
A bold anthology feature film made by an all-female creative team and cast. Based on the popular play of the same name the 80-minute movie follows 10 women scorned as they directly address their exes' new wives and lovers at an open mic night in Los Angeles. Created by a dynamic group of emerging filmmakers at a time when audiences are demanding films made both by and for women, the project taps into a social and political climate that's left women poised to take back their voices and be heard.
To the New Girl
After tragedy strikes, a meek Ruby Oliver enters a broken VR game for a last chance to see the dead. Little does she know that this game treats all girls as a virus as she fights to save herself.
Code_Switch
A formerly homeless teenager realizes this is her last day at the Peterson's house, when a detective closes in on her threatening to reveal her secret; she must decide to runaway or say goodbye to her crush.
AKA Amber
A female pimp struggles with providing for her family as well as the women she employs.
The Providers
A bilingual Ecuadorian-American redhead living in Los Angeles enters a seemingly innocuous interaction with a Spanish-speaking stranger, but her anxieties around her Latin identity and relationship to speaking Spanish quickly prove that navigating this exchange is anything but simple. With every possible interaction having run through her mind, one is left rooting for the possibility that the two might share a moment of human connection.
And Usted También
It is a short film that explores pregnancy loss and what it means to be a mother.
Divine Mother
A man prepares a delicious sandwich that gets cunningly stolen from him by his wife.
Sizzle
Can a clinical method to accelerate emotional intimacy begin healing the social rifts exposed by the 2016 Presidential Election one conversation at a time?
(re)UNITE
Andres, disengaged and apathetic, spends his school days immersed in social media, disconnected from reality. When his brother, Miguel, attempts to halt a bullying incident during lunch, he suffers severe injuries. Instead of intervening, Andres documents the brutal altercation, capturing the harrowing event on his phone, revealing a stark reflection of his detachment from the world around him.
Trending
HIGH BEAM follows Genna, a 9-year-old gymnast who spends a day at work with her mother, a dedicated gymnastics coach. When it’s finally her turn to perform for her evaluation, she finds herself unable to execute the skill in front of the one person whose approval she craves most. Forcing her to question if this sport is worth pursuing anymore.